


Pain Split Epilogue

by ZZ_Chikorita



Series: Hoist the Colors [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions, Pocket Monsters: Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon | Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Versions
Genre: Adventure, Childhood, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:54:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26671735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZZ_Chikorita/pseuds/ZZ_Chikorita
Summary: Companion piece to Part 12 (Pain Split) of my Jolly Rogers Series*This can be read as a stand alone fic but it would make more sense in context.
Relationships: Guzma & Kukui-hakase | Professor Kukui
Series: Hoist the Colors [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1940677
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Pain Split Epilogue

**Author's Note:**

> Some context is available in the end notes for those who would like to read this as a stand alone fic.  
>  ***Warning: may contain spoilers for Jolly Rogers***
> 
> ***Note:** Originally published on my Tumblr

"Oranguru!!!" yelled out the young boy. 

He's been searching for just over two hours but he can't find the pokémon that helped them earlier. But he had to keep searching!  
He had made up him mind.  
He needed to do this.

After making sure Guzma got home safely, Kukui spent the better half of the afternoon tearing through all his books and encyclopedias on pokémon moves and movesets. 

But none of it was adding up! 

None of the known moves that orangurus can learn were anything like what it used on Guzma earlier that day. 

It wasn't until he looked through his book on move tutoring that it finally made sense. 

"Where are you..." he muttered to himself, plopping down next to a large tree. He pulled off his hat and glasses so he could wipe the sweat from his face with the hem of his shirt. 

He tilted his head back, looking up at the distant tree tops. He watched a couple of leaves drifted downwards as an emolga ran across a far up branch. 

Man, he wished he could climb as good as Guzma. That boy moves like pokémon through the trees...

"That's it!" he exclaimed, springing up. 

He was looking the wrong places this whole time. Orangurus live in the canopy not the understory! 

"Arceus! I'm such an idiot!" he said, putting his cap and glasses back on. 

So he began to climb- very cautiously after what happened earlier. 

After several minutes of climbing, he called out again, "Oranguru! O.G.! Where are you!?"

Still nothing.

He began to move horizontally through the forest, careful not to walk on any branches that seemed too thin to hold him. After jumping from one tree to another a couple dozen times, he began to get more confident.

Maybe Guzma's right... maybe he just needs more practice. 

The sun was beginning to set, making it harder to see his footing. Eventually, he got just a little too careless and slipped off the branch. But before falling even a foot, something caught his arm. 

It was the oranguru!

The pokémon pulled him back up and Kukui straddled the branch facing him, trying to catch his breath.

"I've been looking for you," he said, still breathless from the sudden fright, "That move... that you used on our friend... wild oranguru can't learn that... but you know it... you used Pain Split!"

The oranguru gave him a bored look, or at least that's what it seemed like. They're very stoic pokémon so it's hard to tell what they're thinking. 

He began to hobble away, his right arm still tucked up to his body.

"Wait! That's not why I'm here!"

The pokémon stopped and turned back around.

Kukui couldn't get what D.J. had said earlier out of his head. That it's 'illegal' to use healing moves on humans. Why? Aren't humans just pokémon who evolved intelligence instead of powers? 

He needed to understand how this move worked.

"Look," he began to explain, "I love to study Pokémon moves! They're the coolest things ever! And" -he took a deep breath- "I want you to use that move on me."

Much to his surprise, the pokémon actually furrowed his brow. He then gave a breathy laugh with his mouth in an 'O' shape.

"Hey! Stop laughing! I'm serious!"

The pokémon shrugged and began to turn again.

"Stop! That's not the only reason!" 

He eyed the boy curiously.

Suddenly feeling nervous, he stammered, "Um... I-I know that Pain Split divides pain equally between two parties... so you're feeling half his pain right n-now..."  
He took off his hat and fidgitted with it.  
"I know that if you use Pain Split on me... I'll only feel a quarter of the pain he feels but... I... I still need to know what it's like... what he's been through..."

The oranguru re-approached him and leaned down to look directly in his eyes. 

"Please Oranguru?"

The pokémon cradled the back of Kukui's head in his enormous palm. He closed his eyes and brought their foreheads together. Kukui shut his eyes as well on reflex. 

It felt warm on his forehead. It's like he could feel something passing from the Oranguru's body to his own. It began to sting... and then burn.  
Finally, the pokémon released him.

Kukui brought his hand up to his face. Tears were streaming down his cheeks and he had no idea why. The pain in his right arm was growing and excruciating, but that's not why he was crying. 

There were horrible feelings swimming in his head. Sadness, loneliness, anguish, fear, anger...

The boy looked up at the pokémon looming over him. 

Past teary eyes he murmured, "You didn't just split his physical pain... you split all of it."

On the last words, the dark haired boy could no longer maintain his composure and began to weep in loud, unbridled sobs.  
The oranguru pulled him close, enveloping him into a tight, furry hug. 

The sage pokémon held the boy close to his chest and slowly brought them down to the forest floor. He carried him all the way to Lush Jungle's entrance. 

The boy was just about cried out by the time they got there. After setting him on the ground, Oranguru handed Kukui his hat and glasses, both of which he evidently had dropped at some point.

He took them and put them back on, still sniffling. He stood up on wobbly legs and faced the pokémon.

Despite everything, the boy managed to muster up a smile.  
He bowed his head to Oranguru.

"M-mahalo." 

He nodded to the boy and then retreated back into the dense, dark forest.

**Author's Note:**

>  **Context:** Kukui and Guzma are both 7-8 years old. Guzma's dad recently broke the boy's arm and Kukui accompanied him to the doctor to get it fixed. Afterwards, Guzma accidentally hurt his arm again while they were playing in Lush Jungle and an oranguru that the boy had befriended in the past used a move on him to soothe his pain. 
> 
> [Come yell with me on Tumblr](http://zz-chikorita.tumblr.com)  
> [Read Jolly Rogers](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1680463)


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